Cracked Neck? Or Just a Scratched Finish?

[Tom Coletti]

Hello to everyone on the forum! I'm still rather new here, and I have a few questions regarding my mando's neck joint.


I've had this used Kentucky KM-750 for about four years now; it's my first mandolin and love it to bits, sounds better every day as the wood opens up. However, there was a small crack at the base of the neck when I first bought it, and it looks like it may have spread a little bit in the last couple years.



Does the crack look like it's in the wood, or is it just a scratch on the surface of the wood or in the finish? If it's the former, then I'm worried that the crack might compromise the structural integrity of the neck joint and may lead to a neck failure, so I would greatly appreciate the input of the more experienced regarding this issue and how to go about resolving it.

Thanks,

--Tom

[almeriastrings]

Yes. It does look like a crack in the wood. I would get this seen by an experienced luthier without delay, as the sooner it is fully diagnosed and fixed, the better. It will only get worse. Grease and oil may also get into it, which will make any repair much more difficult.

[houseworker]

My initial thought was that the neck was made from two pieces of wood with a less than perfect join, but the way the otherwise straight line tapers off parallel to the neck join suggests otherwise. It looks most like a deliberate scratch to be honest,

Having the photos will help in assessing whether it gets any worse over time. I'd measure the action carefully at the 12th fret and at the end of the florida. If those measurements increase over time it'll be the clearest indication that the neck is unstable and needs the attention of a luthier.

If you bought the instrument new from a retailer, it may be worthwhile discussing it with them since it clearly shouldn't be like that. However I presume you didn't as you say it's been there all the time you've owned it.

Edit: Almeria's advice must have posted just as I started writing, and is likely to be far better informed than mine.

[almeriastrings]

I suspect it is a crack following the grain line in the wood of the heel. These are quite common in guitars and mandolins. A joint separation in a glued (laminated) heel tends to be a straight line, but a one-piece neck/heel will usually just follow the grain. The usual initial cause is an impact of some kind, or movement in the neck joint. Once started, though, the stresses in that location gradually expand them.

[Ivan Kelsall]

I've had a few old banjos in the distant with a 2 piece heel that were separating in a similar manner. Almeria's advice is sound - get it seen to ASAP.That's far too nice a mandolin to let it get any worse,& a good luthier should be able to sort it out,
Ivan

[Ravenwood]

About 10 years ago I had a Gibson A that started to split in a similar fashion. A luthier friend repaired it quite well by injecting glue into the crack using a syringe. He then set a strap button in the heal to reinforce it. The repair has held up beautifully.

[Tom Coletti]

Thanks for the info, guys. A friend was able to use the glue injection technique that Ravenwood suggested (sans the strap button) and said that it was likely fine before but now there isn't any doubt. In the years that I've had it, I never noticed any pulling up of the neck but you can never be too safe, I'm sure.

In other news, I ended up selling it and a couple other instruments for a brand new Breedlove FF, a HUGE improvement over the Kentucky. Loving the deeper, woodier tone in this one.

[stevedenver]

honestly, it looks like a scratch, a deep one, but, from where i sit, it doesnt appear to parallel the heel or back. The fact that it is deep and wide and then stops seems inconsistent with a separation in a joint-if so i would expect thin, hair line. Picture three makes i appear more parallel, but i wouldnt expect the back of the heel to have a joint there, no less in a seemingly angled joint.

[bmac]

It follows the natural grain of the wood so it was certainly a crack.... that type of scratch around the heel would be very unlikely unless done deliberately.

Beautiful Breedlove!

[Bob Clark]

That Breedlove sure is a great looking instrument. Maybe it's just as well your other mandolin developed a crack, if it ultimately led you to this purchase. I hope you really enjoy it!

[Tom Coletti]

Thanks, I've only had it for a day and I'm already in love with it! Can't wait to take it back up to Cal Poly to show the guys when school starts up again. It isn't what I would call a traditional bluegrass sound, but that isn't what I was looking for. The Breedlove is bassier and sweeter with more sustain like an oval hole, but it's just as punchy and loud as any other F-holed mando, a fantastic and versatile sound in my opinion.

And actually, I was in need of an upgrade from the Kentucky for a while now. It was possible to get a good tone out of it, but it took a lot of concentrated effort and energy to do so. With the Breedlove, I can focus more on my improv, since the playability is incredibly smooth with the right-hand technique that I developed on the Kentucky.

After I got the Kentucky's neck joint taken care of, I began to look at my options: some MD515s, a 605 and 615, a Collings MT, and this Breedlove FF. Went with the FF because it sounded almost exactly like the Collings to my ears but for half of the price, plus it was worth the extra few hundred over the Eastman.